


friends just sleep in other beds

by intertwiningwords



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First Love, M/M, Nightmares, Sharing beds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 11:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14354616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intertwiningwords/pseuds/intertwiningwords
Summary: harry has nightmares. ron helps.





	friends just sleep in other beds

**Author's Note:**

> this ship is so underrated fight me about it
> 
> anyways enjoy

The first time, Harry had been so unsure.

“When I had nightmares, Charlie or Bill would come sleep in my bed with me. It sounds silly, but sometimes having someone next to you makes you feel safer, I guess,” Ron said a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Only if you’re alright with it though, of course!”

Harry had never shared a bed before. Harry had never even had a bed big enough to fit himself, let alone another person before he arrived at Hogwarts. To think that the Dursleys had all that money, all that space, and they still kept him in a cupboard while the Weasleys were poor and stuffing their house to the brim with children, they still gave Harry a bed with proper blankets and pillows and everything.

Nightmares had been wracking his brain and waking him up violently for the past few nights. He’d apologized for waking Ron countless times, but Ron never seemed to mind. But now this suggestion made Harry feel even more guilty. Taking Ron away from his own bed to squeeze in beside him, all because of a few bad dreams.

But then again, Ron wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t mean it.

Harry didn’t trust himself to speak without breaking down; the dreams were getting more and more vivid, more real. If they didn’t stop soon, he was sure he’d go insane. So instead he nodded, his lips quirking up in the biggest smile he could possibly muster at the time.

And Ron slid his way under the covers beside him. They were both gangly teens and although Harry was so much smaller, the two of them took up the entire bed when leaving a sliver of space between them.

Ron was right; there was something comforting about the weight of another person on the mattress, the sound of someone breathing beside you. Or maybe it was comforting because it was Ron. Harry wasn’t quite sure. All he knew was one moment, he was awkwardly trying to get comfortable in the bed, and the next he was fast asleep, nightmares ceasing for the rest of the night, and he woke up with his head on Ron’s chest.

They sprang apart with blushing cheeks in the morning, but the awkwardness quickly passed, which Harry was more than grateful for.

 

***

 

It became a bit of a habit after that. Whether at the Burrow or their dorm, Ron always seemed to wake up when Harry had a bad dream, whether he awoke screaming or not. Like he could sense his best friend’s discomfort even in his sleep. Ron was intuitive like that though, and Harry wouldn’t be surprised if it really were the case.

Wordlessly Ron would climb into bed beside him and wrap an arm around his waist from behind, mumble something like, “You’re safe” or “I’m here”, or “Everything’s alright, I promise.”

The other boys in their room didn’t question it, and neither did the Weasleys if the happened to open Ron’s door to wake them up and see the two practically spooning.

“Do you think they think we’re...you know,” Ron asked, his ears blending in with his hair as he asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Like Dean, Seamus, and Neville. Do they think that we’re like...a couple?”

“I don’t think so. Anyway, I doubt they’d care one way or another. Why?” Harry felt suddenly insecure. “If you don’t want people getting the wrong idea you don’t have to-”

“No, I mean...I don’t care what other people think. I was just curious.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Dean and Seamus share a bed anyway,” Harry said.

Ron nodded, and the subject was dropped as they turned to their Charms essays like the whole conversation never happened.

 

***

 

Then it became routine.

Ron’s bed remained perfectly made because he simply got straight into bed beside Harry. It didn’t always help. Sometimes Harry still squirmed and mumbled in his sleep, but Ron was always right beside him to hug him when he woke up.

He felt so silly, need that kind of comfort. But Ron made it feel normal, helped ease the embarrassment.

Molly had rubbed off on Ron in ways she hadn’t seemed to rub off on her other children. Not that all the Weasley siblings weren’t the kindest people Harry had ever met, but Ron was especially sweet. He had a caring, almost motherly instinct within him.

Always the one to make tea. Catch onto people’s bad moods. Lend a shoulder to cry on.

If Harry was the Boy Who Lived, Ron was the Boy Who Cared. Always putting himself before others.

Harry’s head always wound up back on Ron’s chest, no matter how hard he tried to keep his distance. Sometimes, he would wake up first, and though he knew it was probably weird, he wouldn’t move. He’d just keep his eyes shut and listen to Ron’s heartbeat, feeling his chest rise and fall for a few more moments before sitting up and shaking his friend awake.

 

***

 

Things changed.

Ron slept in his own bed, sometimes didn’t even come to bed because he was snogging Lavender in a corridor somewhere. Harry didn’t know why he was so jealous. It made him feel selfish as if he wanted Ron around solely for the benefit of keeping the nightmares at bay. But that wasn’t even the slightest bit true.

He wanted Ron around for the stupid jokes he told, the way he blushed at compliments so easily, the way he always knew the right thing to say. Or his ridiculous, high-pitched laugh, or the sound of his heartbeat as the sun crept through the curtains. The way his arm felt around Harry’s waist.

He wasn’t in love with his best friend. He just missed him.

Right?

 

***

 

Sharing a bed was commonplace for newlyweds.

They’d been sharing a bed for many years before though, so there was no need to adjust to anything but the properly sized bed. No more fear of rolling off the edge in the middle of the night.

They adjusted to the house though. Just the right size, with a little kitchen and a winding staircase like the one in the Burrow (though not quite as crooked).

Harry still had nightmares sometimes, but they were less common. That didn’t have to be the excuse for their closeness anymore.

Ron’s heartbeat. His laugh. His ocean blue eyes. His freckles. His arm around Harry’s waist. His lips. His hands. His kindness. His intuition. 

Harry’s first friend. Harry’s first love.

Sometimes Ron joked that he was lucky to have won the heart of the perfect Boy Who Lived. And Harry would roll his eyes, shake his head fondly. Take Ron’s hand, kiss his knuckles softly, and say, “Oh trust me, I’m the lucky one.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!!  
> feedback is always appreciated in the form of comments / kudos!!
> 
> tumblr: intertwiningwords.tumblr.com


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